Independently-double-gated transistor memory (IDGM)

ABSTRACT

Memory cells are constructed from double-gated four terminal transistors having independent gate control. DRAM cells may use one, two or three transistors. Single transistor cells are constructed either with or without a bit storage capacitor, and both NAND- and NOR-type Non-Volatile NVRAM cells, as well as Ferroelectric FeRAM cells, are described. For all cells, top gates provide conventional access while independent bottom gates provide control to optimize memory retention for given speed and power parameters as well as to accommodate hardening against radiation. In a single transistor cell without a capacitor, use of the bottom gate allows packing to a density approaching 2 F 2 . Using a ferroelectric material as the gate insulator produces a single-transistor FeRAM cell that overcomes the industry-wide Write Disturb problem. The memory cells are compatible with SOI logic circuitry for use as embedded RAM in SOC applications.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/307,863 filed Feb. 25, 2006,entitled “Independently-Double-Gated Field Effect Transistor,” isincorporated here by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the composition and manufacture ofsolid-state memory devices. More specifically, both volatile andnon-volatile memory cells are described, all of which use transistorswith multiple, independent gate electrodes. Hysteresis-producingmaterial, such as Ferroelectric insulators for transistor gates andcapacitors, is incorporated into some embodiments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Temporary storage of information for today's computing devices isprovided by Random Access Memory (RAM). As computer software programsbecome ever larger and more complex, more and more RAM is required inorder to perform the desired computations. A necessary resource, theamount of RAM available for a given task affects the processingcapability of any computing system. A RAM component includes a number ofcells or storage locations each of which can hold the logic state of asingle binary-digit (bit), the smallest amount of information used by acomputer. Each bit is either active or inactive, ‘1’ or ‘0’,respectively.

Large arrays of RAM cells are used to store vast amounts of information.In order to access individual items from these vast arrays, the RAMcells are arranged so that they can be addressed, much like smallmailboxes at street intersections, into groups that are most commonlyorganized by Rows and Columns, each cell having a unique Row/Columnreference.

As the size of RAM arrays has grown into and beyond megabits, designersof memory systems have been forced to focus much attention onconsiderations of size and power consumption. One approach to both ofthese issues has been the use of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)cells. As described first by Robert H. Dennard of IBM in U.S. Pat. No.3,387,286 for “Field-Effect Transistor Memory,” each DRAM cell can beconstructed from a single transistor and a capacitor, a design which hascome to be referred to as a 1T-1C (One-transistor, One-capacitor) memorycell. In operation the transistor serves as an input to control thecharging of the capacitor during writing and the interrogation of thecharge on the capacitor during reading in order to determine the storedlogic state. Since this configuration has no inherent remanence, asthere had been with the earlier magnetic core memories or with data bitlatches, leakage currents allow charge to drain from the capacitor overtime, resulting in a potential loss of the associated information. It isnecessary to recharge the capacitor to refresh the state of the memorycell in order to avoid loss of the information stored by it.Furthermore, when a conventional capacitor is used in the initial 1T-1Cdesign the read out is destructive. This has been overcome with designsthat use two transistors per cell to provide a nondestructive read out.

As higher density has been required of DRAM cells it has been difficultfor memory designers to maintain the necessary storage capacitance ofabout 25 fF (femto-Farads) per cell. Capacitors have been fabricatedusing 3-D (three-dimensional) designs, including trench and stackedcapacitors. The desire for higher k dielectrics (where k refers to thedielectric constant) has seen the replacement of silicon dioxideinitially with silicon nitride and then other more exotic materials. Thearea required for a memory cell is measured in terms of the minimumfeature size F of a given fabrication process. When the 1T-1C cell wasfirst developed at IBM in 1968, the feature size was F=8 μm and the cellarea was 20 F². Advances in on-chip capacitors have reduced the memorycell to 6 F², where F is below 100 nm.

Another approach to reducing the area dedicated to capacitance has beenthe extreme of removing the capacitor from the 1T-1C (One-transistor,One-capacitor) cell to create a 1T-0C, or Zero-capacitor, DRAM cell.First described in “A Capacitor-Less 1T-DRAM Cell” by S. Okhonin, et al.(IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 23, No. 2, February 2002), thiscapacitor-less structure achieved the smallest area of any memorystructure recognized at the time of its introduction and has becomeknown as a floating body memory, since the necessary charge storage wasaccommodated by the Floating Body (FB) effect available in SOI(Silicon-on-Insulator) transistors.

The simplicity of the DRAM cell is offset by the complexity of the meansfor accessing and refreshing the cell. Access may require a delay ofmultiple clock cycles of the processor while a selected row and columnare prepared before a specific cell can be written or read, and allaccesses will occasionally be held off while a block of DRAM cells isrefreshed. Also, with ever higher densities, the storage capacitors onwhich the data is stored have become so small that they can be disturbedby ionizing radiation events resulting in soft errors. Non-volatilememories that do not lose their stored information when power is lostand do not need to be periodically refreshed are highly desirable. Flashmemories achieve these goals while also providing high density. However,flash memories have very slow write times, high voltage and powerrequirements, and reliability concerns.

A key concern in memory components is being able to generate smallerdevices that consume less power. Although significant progress has beenmade in this area, a common problem with transistors is the gate voltagecontrol of the channel as the device decreases in size. Gate voltagecontrol is achieved by exerting a field effect on the channel. As thetransistor size decreases, short-channel effects become more problematicand interfere with the gate voltage's ability to provide exclusivechannel control. Ideally, total control of the channel should rest withthe gate voltage.

The art would be advanced by providing memory cells with improveddensity, superior gate control, and non-volatile storage. Such devicesare disclosed and claimed herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention applies a double-gated CMOS Field EffectTransistor (FET) technology to the improvement of existing volatile andnon-volatile (NV) Random Access Memories (RAMs), and to the realizationof novel RAMs that utilize the second gate, all known existing memoriesbeing single gated. It also applies to the use of this double-gatedtransistor with an incorporated hysteresis-producing material, such as aferroelectric gate insulator for a FeFET, to make possible anon-volatile, fast read/write, compact one-transistor RAM cell. Thenovel feature of the presently described devices is the availability ofa second (bottom) gate for each transistor in the memory cell, where thesecond gate may be connected either independently or in parallel withthe first gate. The innovation includes not just the presence of thesecond gate in each RAM transistor but more importantly the unique andnovel ways in which the second gate is connected and utilized. Thetypical advantage will be to separate the writing and reading functionsof the cell into two independent control lines and signals, wherein oneline, separate from the other, is connected to a different terminal ofthe access transistor. This separation of control for writing andreading allows each function to be optimized independent of the otherfunction.

Double-Gated (DG) Field Effect Transistors (FETs) having independentgate control accomplish the function of two parallel single-gatedtransistors with only a single double-gated transistor. Wherever theseIndependently-Double-Gated (IDG) FETs can be used, a transistor iseffectively eliminated, thereby producing a smaller, more efficientmemory device. Through utilization of IDG FETs, the described memorycells can be made smaller and more efficiently, and will be more powerefficient than previous designs.

An IDG transistor has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,015,547 withenhancements shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/307,863. Thesedocuments describe FETs suitable for the present invention, including aBottom Gate (BG) in addition to an independently controllable Top Gate(TG). From a construction point of view, a bottom gate is disposed onthe substrate, the channel is disposed on the bottom gate, and the topgate is disposed on the channel. The source is disposed on one side ofthe channel and isolated from the bottom gate and the top gate, and thedrain is disposed on the other side of the channel and isolated from thebottom gate and the top gate, and electron flow through the channel iscontrolled solely by gate voltages.

In a typical RAM cell, data is imposed upon the source of a transistorthrough a Bit Line, and written through to a storage node at the drainunder control of a Word Line connected to the gate of the transistor.The use of an IDG FET allows the Word Line connection to be made to thetop gate while reserving the independent bottom gate to be available forother purposes.

Herein a Ferroelectric FeRAM cell is shown wherein the capacitor thatwould typically be required for storage can be eliminated, the cellbeing composed of a single transistor having a ferroelectric gatedielectric. This simple one transistor non-volatile, non-destructiveread, fast program speed memory cell has long been sought after butconsidered impossible to achieve, giving way to cells using two or threesingle-gate transistors instead. One permutation of this cell, disclosedherein, consumes a cell area of only 2 F², by the sharing of contactsand program lines. This is twice the density of the highest density (4F²) memories previously reported.

Each RAM configuration has its own advantages and applications due tothe available permutations of top gate and bottom gate connections, aswill be described in conjunction with the figures of each different RAMcell schematic configuration. All possible permutations of top andbottom gate connections are available for exploration and possibleexploitation.

The incorporation of double gate (DG) transistors improves existing RAMproducts, especially Non-Volatile NVRAMs. In general, the application ofDG transistors offers to both volatile and non-volatile RAMs theadvantages of:

-   -   lower power dissipation,    -   higher speed, or performance,    -   higher density,    -   greater endurance and robustness,    -   tolerance to ionizing radiation single event effects (SEE) and        total ionizing dose (TID) accumulation    -   a higher level of functionality,    -   lower cost,    -   lower complexity, and    -   ease of manufacture.

Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, whichproceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The particular features and advantages of the invention brieflydescribed above as well as other objects will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows schematic notations for a family of devices having variousIDG (Independently-Double-Gated) transistor configurations with whichthe present invention can be implemented. The NMOS embodiments are shownin the upper row without bubbles on the gates, whereas the PMOSembodiments are shown on the lower row with bubbles on the gates.

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 show the possible connection modes of the IDGtransistor.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of Single-Gated (SG) configurationsof IDG transistor embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of Double-Gated (DG) transistorembodiments in which the two gates of the IDG transistor are tiedtogether;

FIG. 4A is a schematic representation of Independently-Double-Gated(IDG) transistor embodiments with all connections independent;

FIG. 4B is a schematic representation of Independently-Double-Gated(IDG) ferroelectric transistor (FeFET) embodiments with all connectionsindependent and capable of SG, DG or IDG connections similar to thosedepicted in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4A.

FIGS. 5A-5C are schematic diagrams of basic 1T-1c DRAM Cellsimplemented, respectively, using SG, DG, and IDG FETs;

FIG. 6A shows the schematic diagram of a basic 1T-0C Floating BodyMemory Cell (FBC) using an IDG FET with a common 2-D Plate;

FIG. 6B shows the schematic of a basic 1T-0C FBC using an IDG FET with adecoded Source Line (SL);

FIGS. 7A-7C show schematically NOR-type Flash Non-Volatile NVRAM Cellswith a common 2-D Plate which are implemented, respectively, with SG,DG, and IDG FETs;

FIGS. 7D-7F are schematic diagrams of NOR-type Flash Non-Volatile NVRAMCells using a decoded Source Line (SL) implemented, respectively, withSG, DG, and IDG FETs;

FIGS. 8A-8C are schematic diagrams of NAND Flash Non-Volatile NVRAMCells implemented, respectively, using SG, DG, and IDG FETs;

FIGS. 9A-9C are schematic diagrams of 3T FeRAM Cells using IDG FETsconnected in SG, DG, and IDG modes, respectively;

FIGS. 10A-10C are schematic diagrams of 2T FeRAM Cells using IDG FETsconnected in SG, DG, and IDG modes, respectively;

FIGS. 11A-11C are schematic diagrams of 1T-1FC FeRAM Cells using SG, DG,and IDG FETs, respectively with a Ferroelectric Capacitor (FC) connectedto a Plate;

FIGS. 12A-12C are schematic diagrams of 1T-0C IDG FeFET RAM Cells usingSG, DG, and IDG FETs, respectively, with the source connected to aPlate;

FIGS. 12D-12F are schematic diagrams of 1T-0C IDG FeFET RAM Cells usingSG, DG, and IDG FETs, respectively, with the source connected to aSource Line;

FIG. 13A is a layout for an IDG FET in a 1T-0C FeRAM Cell configurationas it is implemented in 4 F² area;

FIG. 13B shows a schematic diagram of an array of 1T-0C NV-FeRAM Cellsfor which the layout configuration is illustrated in FIG. 13A;

FIG. 13C is a cross-section diagram of a pair of the 1T NV-FeRAM cells;

FIG. 14 is a table showing the Read, Write and Store operations ofvarious memory cell configurations, especially of the preferredembodiment of a 1T NV-FeRAM;

FIG. 15 shows various Operating Modes of the preferred embodiment of the1T NV-FeRAM including both normal and disturb conditions; and

The following Reference Numbers may be used in conjunction with one ormore of the accompanying FIGS. 1-15 of the drawings:

-   10 Capacitor-   15 Ferroelectric Capacitor-   20 Passgate transistor-   25 Passgate transistor-   30 Independently-Double-Gated n-channel MOSFET with n-channel JFET-   35 Independently-Double-Gated Ferroelectric Transistor (FeFET)-   100 Flexible FET-   102 Substrate-   105 Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) Layer-   110 Buried Oxide (BOX)-   115 Oxide-   120 Bottom gate-   130 Channel-   135 Ferroelectric-   140 Source-   142 Source Extension-   150 Drain-   152 Drain Extension-   160 Top gate-   170 Insulating Spacer between Source and Top gate-   172 Insulating Spacer between Drain and Top gate-   174 Insulating Spacer-   180 Plate Contact-   185 Metal Interconnect between Memory Cells-   198 InterLayer Dielectric (ILD) layer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A variety of RAMs using conventional single-gated transistors areavailable in research and/or production in both volatile andnon-volatile forms. Some of the more conventional of these are StaticSRAM, Dynamic DRAM, and NOR- and NAND-Flash Memories. More recentdevelopments include Ferroelectric FeRAM, Magnetic MRAM, Ovonic UnifiedMemory (OUM) under development by Ovonyx, Inc., and Phase Change PCRAM.Each of these forms of RAM can be improved in various ways by theincorporation of a second gate in each transistor used in the memorycell. Additionally, this second gate may be connected in a variety ofuseful configurations. The present invention describes modifications toexisting DRAM, Flash, and FeRAM cell circuits to incorporate a secondgate.

All known existing memory cells utilize single-gated transistors. Sometransistors that are called “double-gated” are in use but with the twogates simply tied together. The present invention involves theapplication of any Independently-Double-Gated (IDG) transistortechnology to improve existing memory cells and to realize new memorycells by using the independent second gate of each transistor to provideadditional control and functionality. While the Flexfet™ IDG-CMOStechnology (belonging to American Semiconductor, Inc.) produces aflexible FET that is specifically applicable to achieving these memorycell configurations, the techniques shown here may be applicable to theuse of other double-gate devices as well. This disclosure describes howa second independently controllable gate in each transistor providesunique, novel configurations for improved memory cell function.

In FIG. 1 are shown a variety of Independently-Double-Gated (IDG) FieldEffect Transistors (FETs), each of which may be implemented as NMOS orPMOS. An N-channel transistor has N-type source and drain and a channelcomposed of free electrons. A P-channel transistor has P-type source anddrain and a channel composed of free holes. A P-type transistor is shownschematically by placing a “bubble” or open circle on both the top gateand bottom gate inputs to indicate that they are active-low. In general,each of the two gates of an IDG transistor may be any of:

-   -   Metal-insulator (Oxide)-Semiconductor (MOSFET),    -   Metal directly on Semiconductor (MESFET) with no insulator, or    -   Semiconductor Junction (JFET) having no metal or insulator.

Six (two by three) possible permutations of top and bottom gate types asMOSFET, MESFET or JFET are possible for both N-channel and P-channeldevices as shown in FIG. 1. Particular emphasis will be placed on thedevices at the left of the figure. These devices, with MOSFET top gatesand JFET bottom gates, whether N-type or P-type, are known as Flexfet™transistors, developed by American Semiconductor, Inc. These are planarIDG devices that have their top gate self-aligned to an ion-implantedbottom gate, specifically a silicon JFET bottom gate. The twoself-aligned, independent gates control a single fully-depleted channelthat is sandwiched between them. These independent top and bottom gatesare contacted at opposite sides of the channel, which results in compactconnections to all four transistor terminals (source, drain, top gateand bottom gate). The channel of this IDG transistor lies in the planeof the silicon wafer surface, similar to conventional CMOS single gatetransistors, unlike those of the FinFET, Tri-gate, and other multi-gatetransistors.

The basic four-terminal IDG FET may be connected in a number of usefulthree-terminal configurations as shown in FIGS. 2-4. As depicted in FIG.2, the Single-Gated (SG) configuration has the bottom gate connected tothe source, though it may be left to float. The Double-Gated (DG)transistors of FIG. 3 have their top and bottom gates connectedtogether, as is the case with conventional double-gated transistors. TheIndependently-Double-Gated (IDG) transistors of FIG. 4 are truefour-terminal devices, providing either independent bias or no bias(floating) to the top gate and the bottom gate. All of these devices maybe applied to memory cells to serve varying purposes.

One key advantage of using IDG transistors in memory cells is that theindependent gates allow for the separation of the writing and readingfunctions of the cell with two independent control lines, one forreading and the other for writing. This separation of the write and readfunctions enables each function to be independently optimized.

DRAM Implementations

The discussion of the Dynamic RAM cells, with their lower componentcount, begins with reference to FIGS. 5A-5C. These figures show thetraditional DRAM memory cell which consists of an access transistor 30and a storage capacitor 15, that is, the basic One-transistorOne-capacitor (1T-1C) design.

To write a data bit into a memory cell, the Word Line (WL) connected tothe (top) gate of the transistor 30 is activated to turn the transistorOn. Then, after the Bit Line (BL) has been driven to the appropriatehigh or low logic level, the transistor is shut Off, leaving thecapacitor 15 charged either high or low. Since the necessary chargeleaks off of the capacitor 15, it must be refreshed prior to theexpiration of a maximum refresh interval.

To read, or to refresh the data in the cell, the bit line BL is leftfloating when the cell transistor 30 is turned On, and the small changein potential on the bit-line is sensed and amplified to recover a fulllogic level. The ratio of cell capacitance to bit-line capacitance,called the transfer ratio, which ranges from about 0.1 to 0.2,determines the magnitude of the change in bit-line potential. A suitablylarge cell capacitance is needed to deliver an adequate signal to thesense amplifier.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict the single four-terminal transistors of choiceconnected as conventional three-terminal devices, single-gated (SG) inFIG. 5A, and double-gated (DG) in FIG. 5B. In these two configurations,the bottom gates of the transistors are shorted to either the device'ssource (SG, FIG. 5A) or to the device's top gate (DG, FIG. 5B). Theseconfigurations are similar to those that may be accomplished with commonFETs.

In FIG. 5C the transistor 30 is again a four-terminal IDG FET but withall four terminals used to advantage. The availability of the bottomgate, independent of the top gate, allows control signal BGL to beapplied to adjust the threshold voltage Vt. By shifting Vt to differentvalues between Read and Write operations, low voltage operation isenabled without incurring any loss of read and write margins and leakagecan be decreased to increase the time between refresh cycles.

Floating Body Cell (FBC) Implementations

Removal of the defined capacitor from the basic 1T-1C DRAM circuit (ofFIG. 5) results in a 1T-0C configuration, known as a Zero-capacitorDRAM, or FBC cell, one example of which is known as Z-RAM® (InnovativeSilicon Inc.). Two new implementations of a 1T-0C FBC utilizing IDG FETsare shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In a FBC the data charge is stored in thebody capacitance of a SOI MOSFET channel using the Floating Body (FB)effect. Such a capacitor-less memory cell is much smaller than aclassical DRAM cell. The charge stored in the Floating Body affects thethreshold voltage of the transistor sufficiently to provide twodistinguishable states for memory of a single data bit without the needfor an explicit capacitor. A “1” binary state is stored by biasing thetransistor in saturation and injecting holes into the floating body,whereas applying a negative bias to the bit line (FET source) removesthe charge from the floating body in order to store a binary “0” in thedevice. The bottom gate line is biased to keep the body isolated andfloating in order to store data there.

To accomplish reading and writing, both of the designs in FIGS. 6A and6B make use of two controls for cell selection, namely, WL (WordLine)and BL (BitLine). The voltage on the bottom gate in each circuit iscontrolled by BGL (Bottom gate Line) which establishes an optimal biasfor each phase of the memory storage and retrieval operations. Theimplementation of FIG. 6A uses a common 2-D (two-dimensional) Plate,while that of FIG. 6B uses a decoded Source Line (SL) to providecapability for greater noise suppression.

Flash Memory Implementations

The charge stored in the floating body of the FET channel in a FBC leaksto the source/drain junction, as with all dynamic RAM configurations; itis volatile and must be refreshed. However, by injecting or tunnelingcharge to a dielectrically isolated floating gate, as in EPROM(Electrically-Programmable Read-Only Memory), a non-volatile memoryresults. In an EPROM this charge on the floating gate does not leak awayover time, it is non-volatile, and therefore does need to be refreshed.Memory devices that use this floating gate mechanism are known asNon-Volatile NVRAM, one example of which is Flash Memory. The presenceof charge on a floating gate determines whether or not the channel willconduct. A control gate, opposite the channel from the floating gate, isused to impose a charge on the floating gate during a write cycle.Floating gate IDG FETs can be used in one-transistor NVRAMs, where thetopmost gate is connected to a wordline, the middle gate is a floatingstorage gate, and the bottom gate, used as a programming line, allowsadditional control features.

Two types of Flash Memory are referred to as NOR and NAND. Thedifferences between the two types occur as a result of optimizationsbased upon differing constraints. Reading of data can be performed onindividual addresses in NOR memories, but not in NAND. Unlocking of theNOR cells is required to make them available for erase or write. Theseoperations are performed on all flash memories in a block-wise manner,with typical block sizes of 64 kB, 128 kB, or 256 kB. Though NOR-Flashoffers faster read speed and random access capabilities, the write anderase functions are slow compared to NAND. NOR also has a larger memorycell size than NAND, which limits the ability to scale devices withadvances in technology and therefore loses to NAND when consideringachievable bit density. Conversely, NAND-Flash offers fast write anderase capability but is slower than NOR in the realm of read speed. Thefast write and erase speed of NAND-Flash combined with its higheravailable densities, and resulting lower cost-per-bit, make it thepreferred technology for many consumer applications which often requirethe ability to rewrite data quickly and repeatedly, such as for digitalcameras, multi-function cell phones, MP3 players and USB data storagedrives.

FIGS. 7A-7F are schematic representations of a variety of IDG FET NORFlash cells containing a single floating gate transistor per cell. Theconfigurations of FIGS. 7A-7C use a grounded plate, whereas theconfigurations shown in FIGS. 7D-7F use a decoded SourceLine (SL). Eachof the single-gated (SG, FIGS. 7A and 7D), double-gated (DG, FIGS. 7Band 7E), and Independently-Double-Gated (IDG, FIGS. 7C and 7F)transistor configurations are usable.

The NAND Flash cells shown schematically in FIGS. 8A-8C also contain asingle floating gate IDG FET per cell. Here, the cells are connected inseries in a stacked configuration with both drains and sources beingshared with the transistors in the adjacent cells in the stack. One endof the stack is connected by a selection gate to a BitLine BL, while theother end of the stack is connected to a SourceLine SL by anotherselection gate. As with the NOR-Flash cells, each of the single-gated(FIG. 8A), double-gated (FIG. 8B), and Independently-Double-Gated (FIG.8C) transistor configurations may be applied to create NAND-type FlashNon-Volatile NVRAM.

Hysteresis Field Effect Transistor (HyFET) Implementations

Recent high-K and alternative gate dielectric research has identifiedhysteresis as a common characteristic of many non-ferroelectricmaterials. High-K layer hysteresis phenomena have been identified as amajor issue for gate dielectric integration of materials like HafniumOxide (HfO2) and Silicon Nitride. This characteristic is similar to thatprovided by ferroelectric materials used as a gate dielectric. While thecharacteristics provided by high-K and other hysteresis-producingmaterials are not desirable for standard MOSFET operation, they can beconsidered as ferroelectric material alternatives for integration intotransistors to produce FeFET equivalent devices. A transistor where thehysteresis-producing material is used in lieu of a dielectric to form aField Effect Transistor (FET) with a Metal—Hysteresis-producingmaterial—Semiconductor structure can be referred to as Hysteresis FieldEffect Transistor (HyFET).

A ferroelectric transistor is a transistor in which the gate insulatoris replaced by a ferroelectric material to produce a Ferroelectric FieldEffect (FeFET) transistor of Metal-Ferroelectric-Semiconductor (MFS). Bytaking advantage of the properties related to the hysteresis of theferroelectric material, a Ferroelectric Field Effect Transistor (FeFET)memory cell can be constructed. Such a cell may be used as the basis ofa compact Non-Volatile Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (FeRAM) thatis capable of both high-speed reads and writes, on the order ofnanoseconds, and has high endurance, in excess of 10¹⁰ cycles whichcompares with the 10⁴ cycle lifetime of an EEPROM. Another advantage offerroelectric designs is that they offer compatibility with standardoperating conditions since data can be stored at default operatingvoltages, as with transistor-capacitor memory designs, without requiringthe higher voltage peaks common to floating-gate EPROM devices.

Another approach that uses ferroelectric materials begins with the basic1T-1C circuit as described above for the DRAM but with a ferroelectriccapacitor, hence a 1T-1FC cell. Though the achievable integrationdensity of 1T-1FC cells is quite good, such cells are typically not asdense as Flash memory due to the large included ferroelectric MIMCap(Metal-Insulator-Metal Capacitor) which limits cell scaling. The 1T-1FCcell also suffers from destructive readout of the cell data, requiringthe data to be rewritten after every read. FeRAM cells that contain aferroelectric transistor (FeFET) are therefore more promising thancapacitor-based cells with regard to cell scaling.

Construction of a variety of three, two or one transistor capacitor-lessmemory cells is made possible with IDG FETs where one of the transistorsis a ferroelectric transistor. Alternately, coupling a ferroelectriccapacitor to a single IDG FET can accomplish a 1T-1FC memory cell thatis worthy of consideration. Furthermore, it will be recognized by thoseskilled in these arts that ferroelectrics are only one subset of theclass of hysteresis-producing materials that may be used in theembodiments described here. It is also to be noted that those skilled inthe art will recognize advantages to the inclusion ofhysteresis-producing materials in the bottom gate as well as in the topgate of an IDG FET.

Most FeRAM cells have three decoded control lines per cell, usuallynamed

-   -   BitLine (BL),    -   WordLine (WL) or Read WordLine (RWL), and    -   SourceLine (SL) or Write WordLine (WWL) or PlateLine (PL).        These signals are generally connected to the storage transistor        at its drain, top gate, and source, respectively, or to the        equivalent ports of a multi-transistor cell when a storage        transistor is buffered by passgates.

Various implementations of three-transistor (3T) capacitor-less memorycells are shown in FIGS. 9A-9C. Each of these configurations contains asthe memory element a FeFET having a ferroelectric gate. Theferroelectric transistor 35 is flanked at each of its drain and sourceterminals by an IDG FET acting as a pass gate (20, 25). Due to theferroelectric effect of the FeFET 35, it is easily written to either alogic ‘1’ or ‘0’ state by a single Write WordLine (WWL) at its top gateafter its channel has been activated by establishing appropriate levelsat its drain and source through pass gates 20, 25 tied to the Bit Line(BL) and its complement BLN, respectively. Once written, the datacontent stored in the FeFET 35 may be read by selecting the cell throughBit Lines BL and BLN followed by raising the Read WordLine (RWL) to turnon the pass gates 20, 25.

In FIG. 9A the IDG FET pass gates (20, 25) are connected in thesingle-gated (SG) mode. The bottom gate of the FeFET 35 memory elementmay float, as shown, or it may be connected to the top gate indouble-gated (DG) fashion. A fully DG version of the 3T memory cell isshown in FIG. 9B, wherein all three transistors are double-gateddevices, each transistor having its top and bottom gates tied together.

In the Independently-Double-Gated version of the 3T non-volatile FeRAMcell shown in FIG. 9C, the bottom gate of the FeFET 35 memory elementfloats, while the top gate is connected to the Write WordLine (WWL). Thepass gates of this cell operate in their full four-terminal modeallowing their bottom gates to be preferentially biased to a Bottom gateLine (BGL). This provides flexibility as well as reduced programmingvoltages and improved timings.

Reducing the transistor count from three to two yields the possiblecircuit configurations shown in FIGS. 10A-10C. For each of the depicted2T memory cells, the pass gate (25, FIG. 9) between the FeFET 35 and thenegative BitLine BLN of the corresponding 3T configurations has beenreplaced by a direct connection to a Source Line SL. FIG. 10A shows asingle-gated (SG) version in which the bottom gate is tied to the sourceof each transistor. In the double-gated DG version of FIG. 10B the twotransistors are treated in the familiar manner with each bottom gatetied to its corresponding top gate. Using both transistors in thefour-terminal configuration results in the embodiment shownschematically in FIG. 10C. Here the bottom gates of both the MOSFET andthe FeFET are tied to a Bottom gate Line (BGL) to facilitate greatercontrol of the thresholds of the devices.

By replacing the FeFET 35 of the 2T memory cells of FIGS. 10A-10C with aferroelectric capacitor, each of the configurations is converted to acorresponding 1T-1FC circuit as shown in FIGS. 11A-11C. Schematically,this circuit topology appears similar to that of the 1T-1C DRAM cellsdepicted in FIGS. 5A-5C, however in operation the ferroelectriccapacitor 15 used here results in a Non-Volatile RAM, eliminating theneed for the refresh circuitry of the DRAM cells.

As has been shown above, non-destructive reading of an FeRAM cell can beachieved by adding one or two non-ferroelectric access transistors inseries with the ferroelectric storage transistor. This has beenillustrated elsewhere, without the advantageous use of IDG FETs in the1T-1FT FeRAM cell of Hoshiba described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,596 titled“Semiconductor storage device with a ferroelectric transistor storagecell.” However, no matter how these extra transistors are constructed,their inclusion prevents the cell-size from being aggressively scaled.It would be desirable to avoid both destructive reading and read/writedisturbances on adjacent cells with a simple, compact 1T FeRAM cell.

In 1996 Nishimura et.al. were granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,871 for a“Nonvolatile ferroelectric-semiconductor memory,” where they described afloating gate 1T FeRAM cell utilizing the top gate as WordLine (WL), thesource as SourceLine (SL; Nishimura's FIGS. 10-12, etc.) tied to thebackgate (B; substrate of FIG. 4), and the drain as BitLine (BL). Thestructure of Nishimura et.al. leaves the middle metal layer in the stackas a floating gate (FG).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,856,688 titled “Integrated circuit memory devices havingnonvolatile single transistor unit cells therein” was granted to Lee etal. in 1999. They show an extension of the structure of Nishimura et.al.by adding a second write bitline which is capacitively-coupled to aC-shaped floating gate. TheseMetal-Ferroelectric-Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MFMIS) cells havecomplicated layer stacks which are a burden to production.

Other inventors have recognized the value of transistors integrated witha ferroelectric (Fe) material as the gate dielectric to create aferroelectric transistor (FeFET) for construction of memory cells. Theprimary advantage of using such materials has been that the resultingcircuit is a dense, fast, non-volatile memory with a 4 F² cross-pointcell, where F is the characteristic feature dimension for a givenprocess. However, industry and research literature and experienceindicate that, as a 1T cell, ferroelectric memories are unmanageable dueto a write disturb problem.

A write disturb occurs when the write voltage is applied to the bitline.The undesirable behavior is that, even with the wordline Low, the writevoltage drops across the ferroelectric gate causing the stored data bitto be rewritten uncontrollably. Indeed, there has been an industry-wideteaching away from the use of a FeFET in a 1T memory cell for thisreason.

At the (Nov. 5) 2002 Non-Volatile Memory Technology Symposium, in apresentation entitled “Static FeRAM: A Novel Ferroelectric MemoryApproach” and prepared by industry pioneer Joseph T. Evans, Jr. ofRadiant Technologies Inc., it was stated that

-   -   “Another common misconception about ferroelectric transistors of        any kind is that they can be used to form one-transistor memory        cells. The concept is that the transistor can be used both as a        memory element and its own isolation gate. This is not true . .        . any application of a full write voltage to the source or drain        will program the transistor even though the gate is not        activated. Floating the gate does not eliminate the voltage        disturb.”

Evans then concluded,

-   -   “Therefore, the TFFT [Thin-Film Ferroelectric Transistor] can be        used as the memory element but it must have a separate pass        gate. This makes for a two-transistor memory cell, a unique        situation that still results in a small footprint.”        The FeRAM cell thus described by Evans is functionally        equivalent to the single-gated device shown here in FIG. 10A.

Also in 2002 (Nov. 27) Salling et. al. filed an application for“Junction-isolated depletion mode ferroelectric memory devices” whichissued in 2005 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,876,022. The method used by Sallinget. al. to prevent read disturb in an MFMIS cell involved adding a diodein series with the bitline contact. Though effective, this adds to theprocess complexity and reduces the read/write speed.

Complete protection from read/write disturbs without adding extratransistors or diodes to the cell can be achieved by adding a fourthcontrol line to the memory transistor or cell. Koo et.al. showed this intheir U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,879 for “Ferroelectric memory devices havingwell region word lines and methods of operating same,” which issued in1999, where they used a well region in the substrate below thetransistor to provide a fourth terminal for an MFMIS transistor.

It would be desirable to build an FeRAM cell with no floating metal gateusing a TFFT (Thin-Film Ferroelectric Transistor) as the memory element,where only the ferroelectric film exists between the metal top gate andthe silicon channel in an MFS configuration in an SOI process without aseparate pass gate. However, this requires a “friendly” ferroelectricmaterial, one that will not adversely react with the silicon channel. Itwould be a desirable advancement of the art to incorporate asilicon-friendly ferroelectric into such a simple MFS 1T FeRAM cell. Inspite of the teaching throughout the industry away from such a simplecell, the present invention in its preferred embodiment succeeds ineliminating the voltage disturb for such a cell. This is accomplished bythe use of a fourth terminal, specifically the bottom gate of an IDGFeFET.

The MFS (Metal-Ferroelectric-Semiconductor) 1T FeRAM cell produced withan IDG-FeFET in the preferred embodiment contains all of these desirableattributes. In a typical configuration using a common ferroelectric oneskilled in the art will recognize the need to isolate the ferroelectricfrom the Si channel by an interfacial barrier layer, an oxide such asSiO2 being commonly used. This interfacial layer must be thinner thanthe thickness of the ferroelectric. Another possible configurationincorporates a silicon-friendly ferroelectric material that is capableof being in direct contact with the silicon channel, thereby requiringno interfacial barrier layer. There are no restrictions on gatematerial, but Titanium Nitride is one material that has been shown tooptimize the hysteresis loop of some ferroelectric films to produce awide voltage loop with a relatively square shape. In the preferredembodiment titanium nitride/tungsten is used for the top gate electrode.

Referring to the various embodiments of FIG. 12, especially FIGS. 12Eand 12F, it is seen that, in general, the top gate serves as theWriteLine, the drain serves as the BitLine, and the bottom gate servesas the WordLine. Because the bottom gate voltage can directly shift thehysteretic I-V curve of this transistor due to its dynamic thresholdeffect, the cell may be written at one threshold voltage, read at alower threshold for high speed, and set to a high threshold to storedata with low leakage. The ability to read, write, and store data byapplying combinations of two gate control voltages and one sourcecontrol voltage while only raising the electric field across theferroelectric material during an addressed write operation is unique tothis IDG FeRAM memory cell. This results in elimination of the classicread/write disturb problem that has prevented single-transistor FeRAMcell feasibility thus far. Unlike the cell of Koo et.al., the SourceLinedoes not have to be decoded or driven, and so may be simply grounded toa common plate, or the substrate, or connected to a Plate Line.

A single FeFET can replace the combination of a MOSFET coupled to aferroelectric capacitor of the 1T-1FC memory cells shown in FIGS.11A-11C, mapping those cells into the devices of FIGS. 12A-12F, toproduce the corresponding 1FT-0C memories with their connections eitherto a Plate (FIGS. 12A-12C) or to a Source Line (FIGS. 12D-12F).Available configurations of the 1FT-0C memory cells include the SGversions of FIGS. 12A and 12D, the DG implementations of FIGS. 12B and12E, and the Independently-Double-Gated IDG forms shown in FIGS. 12C and12F.

In the conventional circuit equivalent of the single-gated cell shown inFIG. 12A, the write voltage is applied to the BitLine at the drain anddrops across the ferroelectric gate even when the WordLine is held low.This is the cause of the Write Disturb phenomenon. Such a 1T FeFET cellwhen implemented in standard CMOS does not work as desired.

Removing the source of the IDG FeFET in FIG. 12C from a common Plate andtying it to a SourceLine (SL), as in FIG. 12F, results in a very compacttopology. The layout of an array of these 1FT-0C memory cells isdepicted in FIG. 13A which shows that the much desired classic 4 F²minimum area cross-point, the “holy grail” of layouts, has beenachieved.

Even greater density is possible by careful use of the full capabilityof the four-terminal IDG FeFET. A single-bit memory cell of FIG. 12F canbe packed so as to require only a very compact area per bit that couldapproach 2 F². This is accomplished by connecting the source to a seconddata signal line, rather than to a Source Line, where the second datasignal line is independent of the first data signal line at the drain.

In addition to their small size, the cells of FIGS. 12C and 12F offerthe benefit of separate bit lines for read and write operations as shownin the 2×4 bit array depicted in FIG. 13B. A cross-section of a pair ofthe 1T NV FeRAM cells that results in 4 F² is shown in FIG. 13C. Thesimple gate stack of this configuration accomplishes the desired 1T cellwith a minimum number of processing steps, all of which are totallycompatible with Silicon. With a TiN top gate 160 stacked on asilicon-friendly ferroelectric 135 that can be placed in direct contactwith the silicon channel, the series capacitance typical of otherferroelectrics that require a barrier dielectric is eliminated.

The high resistivity (SOI) layer and spacers 170, 172, 174, may allinclude nitride to separate and encapsulate the source 140, drain 150,bottom gate 120, and top gate 160 and increase radiation resistance.Radiation resistance is further increased in the four terminalembodiment wherein the bottom gate 120 is biased to sweep awayaccumulated charge. Remaining radiation sensitivity may be compensatedby dynamic control of the bottom gate 120. Dynamic bottom gatecompensation allows repair of the threshold voltage after extendedradiation exposure.

Referring to FIG. 14, it can be seen that use of the bottom gateprovides the control needed to shift the Vt window out of the range thatwould otherwise be sensitive to write disturbs, thereby resolving thewrite disturb issue in a 1T memory cell. Write voltage is only appliedto the Write Bit-Line (WBL) at the top gate. This circumvents theconcern voiced by Evans above that “any application of a full writevoltage to the source or drain will program the transistor even thoughthe gate is not activated.” As shown in the table of operating voltagesin FIG. 15, a write voltage of +/−1.0V is applied to the top gate whilethe drain is grounded. The Read Bit-Line (RBL) at the drain and the WordLine connected to the bottom gate require only 0.5V, resulting in a 1TNV-RAM cell capable of low voltage operation.

The Read, Write and Store diagrams of FIG. 15 show the voltagesappearing at each of the four terminals for those specific operationsfor a SELECTED (addressed) cell. The two Write Disturb diagrams show theconditions on an UNSELECTED cell on the same WordLine as the selectedcell that is being WRITTEN, and an UNSELECTED cell on the same BitLineas the selected cell that is being WRITTEN. The two Read Disturbdiagrams show the conditions on an UNSELECTED cell on the same WordLineas the selected cell that is being READ, and an UNSELECTED cell on thesame BitLine as the selected cell that is being READ. These diagramsshow the desired result, that the combination of top gate, bottom gate(threshold voltage control) and drain voltages for ALL four possibledisturb conditions (a selected cell disturbing an unselected cell) arenot adequate or sufficient to perform a write or toggling of thepreviously stored data state on the unselected cell.

CONCLUSIONS

The present invention provides enhancements to multiple families ofmemory cells that realize advantages through the effective use ofIndependently-Double-Gated (IDG) transistors. The use of an IDG FET asthe core of each memory cell reduces circuit complexity leading to animprovement in layout density while also reducing power consumption andmaintaining speed of operation. The implementations of memory cellsshown here apply to any and all transistor technologies havingindependent double-gates, such as Tri-gate, FinFET, MigFET, etc., aslong as the two gates are electrically separate, that is, they can beisolated each from the other. The techniques are directly applicable tothe Flexfet™ IDG technology from American Semiconductor Inc.

Of the various single-gated volatile and non-volatile RAMs in researchand/or production today, drawing examples from DRAM, NOR- andNAND-Flash, and FeRAM, each of these forms of RAM can be improved invarious ways by the incorporation of a second gate in each transistor ofthe memory cell. In addition, there are a variety of usefulconfigurations for connecting this second gate, such as SG or DG. Thisdisclosure focuses on modifications to existing DRAM, Flash, and FeRAMcells to incorporate a second gate. Specifically, the incorporation oflow-cost, planar Flexfet™ SOI IDG-CMOS technology into various newhighly-advantageous RAM configurations has been shown here.

With the introduction of a ferroelectric material into the top gate, anon-volatile memory is achieved. Using an Independently-Double-Gated FETmakes a single-transistor (1T) FeRAM feasible and results in a cell thatmeets the highly prized 4 F² density goal. The invented cell alsoprovides a solution for Non-Destructive ReadOut (NDRO), as well aseliminating the problems of Disturb during Write and depolarization thathave hindered advancement in the industry.

The presently invented FeRAM is also attractive for low powerapplications due to the reduction of gate or sub-V_(t) current leakage,and is inherently radiation resistant. With its long data retention thedescribed FeRAM provides a fast, low power alternative to Flash Memoryas well as a low cost alternative to SRAM. Since the described devicescan be produced by standard processes, requiring only one additionalmask to embed ferroelectric material for the 1T FeRAM, the memory cellsshown here may be used in standalone memory arrays or embedded intoSystem-on-a-Chip (SOC) designs to significantly reduce overall systemsize.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that changes may bemade to the details of the above-described embodiments without departingfrom the underlying principles of the invention. The scope of thepresent invention should, therefore, be determined only by the followingclaims.

1. A semiconductor memory cell, comprising: a substrate; a substratedielectric disposed on the substrate; an Independently-Double-Gated(IDG) Hysteresis Field Effect Transistor (HyFET); and anIndependently-Double-Gated (IDG) Field Effect Transistor (FET), whereinthe IDG HyFET includes a bottom gate disposed on the substratedielectric, a source disposed above the substrate dielectric and havinga source extension extending from a main body of the source, a draindisposed above the substrate dielectric and having a drain extensionextending from a main body of the drain, a channel disposed on thebottom gate and coupled to and disposed between the source and thedrain, the channel creating a junction contact with the bottom gate toform a JFET, a hysteresis-producing material disposed above the channel,a top gate disposed above the hysteresis-producing material, wherein thetop gate completes a Metal—Hysteresis-producing material—Semiconductorstructure to form a Hysteresis FET (HyFET), a first local interconnectcoupled to the top gate, a second local interconnect insulated from thefirst local interconnect and coupled to the bottom gate, a firstinsulating spacer disposed between the top gate and the source andproximate to the source extension, and a second insulating spacerdisposed between the top gate and the drain and proximate to the drainextension; and a first control signal line coupled to the top gate, andwherein the IDG FET includes a bottom gate disposed on the substratedielectric, a source disposed above the substrate dielectric and havinga source extension extending from a main body of the source, a draindisposed above the substrate dielectric and having a drain extensionextending from a main body of the drain, a channel confined by beingcoupled between the source extension and the drain extension, thechannel making a junction contact to the bottom gate to form a JFET, atop gate disposed above the channel, a first local interconnect of theIDG FET coupled to the top gate, a first insulating spacer disposedbetween the top gate and the source and proximate to the sourceextension, a second insulating spacer disposed between the top gate andthe drain and proximate to the drain extension, and a second localinterconnect of the IDG FET insulated from the first local interconnectof the IDG FET and coupled to the bottom gate, and wherein the drain ofthe IDG FET is coupled to a first data signal line, the source of theIDG FET is coupled to the drain of the IDG HyFET, and the top gate ofthe IDG FET is coupled to a second control signal line.
 2. Thesemiconductor memory cell of claim 1, wherein the second localinterconnect of the IDG FET is also coupled to the drain, and the secondlocal interconnect of the IDG HyFET is also coupled to the source and toa common plate.
 3. The semiconductor memory cell of claim 1, wherein thesecond local interconnect of the IDG FET is also coupled to the drain ofthe IDG FET, and the second local interconnect of the IDG HyFET iscoupled to a third control signal, and the source of the IDG HyFET iscoupled to a common plate.
 4. The semiconductor memory cell of claim 1,wherein the first local interconnect of the IDG FET is also coupled tothe bottom gate of the IDG FET, the first local interconnect of the IDGHyFET is also coupled to the bottom gate of the IDG HyFET, and thesource of the IDG HyFET is coupled to a common plate.
 5. Thesemiconductor memory cell of claim 1, wherein the first localinterconnect of the IDG FET is also coupled to the bottom gate of theIDG FET, the second local interconnect of the IDG HyFET is coupled to athird control signal, and the source of the IDG HyFET is coupled to acommon plate.
 6. The semiconductor memory cell of claim 1, wherein thesecond local interconnect of the IDG FET is also coupled to the secondlocal interconnect of the IDG HyFET and to a third control signal line,and wherein the source of the IDG HyFET is coupled to a common plate. 7.The semiconductor memory cell of claim 1, wherein the second localinterconnect of the IDG FET is also coupled to the drain of the IDG FET,and the second local interconnect of the IDG HyFET is also coupled tothe source of the IDG HyFET and to a decoded source line.
 8. Thesemiconductor memory cell of claim 1, wherein the second localinterconnect of the IDG FET is also coupled to the drain of the IDG FET,and the second local interconnect of the IDG HyFET is coupled to a thirdcontrol signal, and the source of the IDG HyFET is coupled to a decodedsource line.
 9. The semiconductor memory cell of claim 1, wherein thefirst local interconnect of the IDG FET is also coupled to the bottomgate of the IDG FET, the first local interconnect of the IDG HyFET isalso coupled to the bottom gate of the IDG HyFET, and the source of theIDG HyFET is coupled to a decoded source line.
 10. The semiconductormemory cell of claim 1, wherein the first local interconnect of the IDGFET is also coupled to the bottom gate of the IDG FET, the second localinterconnect of the IDG HyFET is coupled to a third control signal, andthe source of the IDG HyFET is coupled to a decoded source line.
 11. Thesemiconductor memory cell of claim 1, wherein the second localinterconnect of the IDG FET is coupled to the second local interconnectof the IDG HyFET and to a third control signal, and the source of theIDG HyFET is coupled to a decoded source line.
 12. The semiconductormemory cell of claim 1, further comprising: a second IDG FET, andwherein the source of the second IDG FET is coupled to the source of theIDG-HyFET, the drain of the second IDG FET is coupled to a second datasignal line, and the top gate of the second IDG FET is coupled to thesecond control signal line.
 13. The semiconductor memory cell of claim12, wherein the second local interconnect of the first IDG FET iscoupled to the drain of the first IDG FET, and the second localinterconnect of the second IDG FET is coupled to the drain of the secondIDG FET.
 14. The semiconductor memory cell of claim 13, wherein thesecond local interconnect of the IDG HyFET is coupled to a third controlsignal.
 15. The semiconductor memory cell of claim 12, wherein the firstlocal interconnect of the IDG HyFET is also coupled to the bottom gateof the IDG HyFET, the first local interconnect of the first IDG FET isalso coupled to the bottom gate of the first IDG FET, and the firstlocal interconnect of the second IDG FET is also coupled to the bottomgate of the second IDG FET.
 16. The semiconductor memory cell of claim12, wherein the second local interconnect of the IDG HyFET is coupled toa third control signal, the first local interconnect of the first IDGFET is also coupled to the bottom gate of the first IDG FET, and thefirst local interconnect of the second IDG FET is also coupled to thebottom gate of the second IDG FET.
 17. The semiconductor memory cell ofclaim 12, wherein the second local interconnect of the first IDG FET iscoupled to a third control signal, and the second local interconnect ofthe second IDG FET is coupled to the third control signal.
 18. Thesemiconductor memory cell of claim 17, wherein the second localinterconnect of the IDG HyFET is coupled to the third control signal.